WOODS FUND CHICAGO GRANTS

Woods Fund Chicago funds over $4 million each year to grantee partners who organize their communities in the fight for racial and economic justice.

Photo by Brighton Park Neighborhood Council

Woods Fund Chicago distributes core grants up to $35,000 for new grantee partners. These grants are for one year and are renewable.

As of 2024, Woods Fund Chicago has transitioned to one grantmaking cycle a year. Applications open for one month annually in February with grants announced in July. Keep in touch with Woods Fund Chicago for updates regarding the next grantmaking cycle.

As a funder and partner,

Woods Fund Chicago commits to the practices of trust-based philanthropy, adapts to the evolving needs
of grantee partners, and connects partners to resources that further activate their work. We provide multiyear, general operating support to ensure grantee partners can sustain their work and operations beyond
the scope of a single program.

Woods Fund Chicago grantee partners…

… are community organizers.

… support grassroots movements.

… take collective action.

… use an intersectional racial justice framework.

… challenge traditional power structures.

… collaborate with communities and movements to create sustainable, systemic change.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible for a Woods Fund Chicago grant, your organization or coalition must:

Be based in the Chicago metropolitan area (city proper with some consideration of other cities in Cook County).

Be a registered 501(c)(3) organization or fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) organization.

Build power through community organizing and/or public policy advocacy.

Have 51% people of color on the executive leadership of the organization and its Board of Directors.

Utilize a framework of racial equity and/or justice within organizing efforts.

How does Woods Fund Chicago define Community Organizing?

Community Organizing is the process by which people impacted by injustice take collective action, guided by an intersectional racial justice analysis, to build power to win meaningful change in their lives and communities, challenge the power structure, and achieve systemic change. Organizing often involves winning changes in practice, policy, and resource distribution of public or private institutions. It is fundamentally about justice, grassroots democracy, and self-determination.

What we are looking for:

Majority BIPOC-led organizations that work within and collaborate with communities of color and systemically marginalized populations, including people of marginalized genders and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, communities under economic and environmental duress, people with disabilities, and all communities impacted by structural racism and economic injustice. 

Strategy for systems change that articulates a critique of institutions of power, addresses changes in policies, practices, structures, and/or systems, and builds strategic partnerships with other organizations (including coalitions) to challenge power and invoke change. 

Community Organizing that involves impacted communities in the decision-making process, providing opportunities and resources to further develop the leadership of those impacted by the issue that the organization is working towards dismantling.

Small and grassroots organizations, where grassroots organizations are defined as any organization with a budget less than $1M and small organizations as an organization with a budget between $1-3M.

To learn more about key terms regarding our criteria and approach to community organizing, visit our glossary of terms.

What We Don’t Fund:

  • Organizations outside of the Chicago metropolitan area (Chicago city proper and its surrounding suburbs)

  • Business or economic development projects

  • Capital campaigns, capital projects, capital acquisitions, housing construction/rehabilitation

  • Endowments

  • Health care institutions, including, but not limited to, hospitals and clinics

  • Organizations that only provide direct services

  • Medical and scientific research

  • K-12 and post-secondary education scholarships

  • Religious programs

  • Leadership development or fellowship programs

Ready to Apply?

Interested in Applying for 2025 Grants? Stay tuned in mid-January for more information about the upcoming grantmaking cycle. Read on to learn what to expect during the next application process.

Did you apply for the 2024 grantmaking cycle? Jump down to see where we are in the decision-making process.

Want to be notified when grants are available? Sign-up for Woods Fund Chicago updates or reach out  to Director of Grants Management and Assistant Corporate Secretary Deborah Clark at dclark@woodsfund.org.

Data collection: Woods Fund Chicago collects organizational data (contact information) and demographics as part of the application process. Demographic information is collected inline with our prioritization of BIPOC-led/centered orgs. This data is used to provide a holistic view of each applicant and whether they align with Woods Fund Chicago’s mission and values.

Photo by Mujeres Latinas en Acción

Decision-Making Timeline

New applicants may access the public grants portal and submit a funding request through GivingData.

Applications are closed for this year's grantmaking cycle. Check back or subscribe to our newsletter for updates.

STEP 1

Applications open.

STEP 2

The application portal closes. Woods Fund Chicago program officers begin to review applications.

STEP 3

All applicants receive a response regarding their application. Woods Fund Chicago will coordinate site visits and interviews with select applicants.

STEP 4

Program board committee
meets and determines
final recommendations.

STEP 5

 Recommendations are voted on by the full board.

STEP 5

Grantee partners are notified of final decision and provided grant letters and agreements via Docusign. Grantee partners will receive funds 2-3 weeks after agreements are signed.

STEP 6

Woods Fund Chicago publicly announces the new cohort of grantee partners. New and existing grantee partners will receive a welcome and resource packet.

What to Expect as a Grantee Partner

Our relationship with and investment in grantee partners goes beyond an annual check. As part of our commitment to trust-based philanthropy, Woods Fund Chicago provides year-round check-ins, invitations to special funding opportunities, and access to resources and capacity-building tools that strengthen organizational sustainability. Additionally, Woods Fund Chicago utilizes our newsletter, social media, and peer networks to amplify the work of grantee partners and their movements and advocates for meaningful investments towards community organizing in the philanthropic sector.

Examples of Opportunities for Grantee Partners:

  • Grantee Partner-Informed Learning Cohorts

  • Capacity Building Initiative (provided in partnership with Crossroads Fund)

  • Cultivate: Women of Color in Leadership* program (supported by Woods Fund Chicago, Chicago Foundation for Women, Crossroads Fund, Walder Foundation, and the Chicago Community Trust)

  • Convenings and Networking Opportunities

  • Social Media Technology training

  • Rapid Response Fund and Organizational Resiliency Fund

*This program is inclusive of cisgender women, transgender women, gender-nonconforming, and nonbinary individuals.

Justice is a benefit to all of us, and all of us are needed in the movement to achieve that vision.

Let’s join in this movement together.